Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Breeder Feeder review at Simon Seeks Blog

Athens’ coolest supper club: Breeder Feeder

The Breeder has been on my radar for a while. Since moving into a purpose-built space in Metaxourgio – a seedy red-light district that’s never quite been gentrified, no matter how many art galleries move in – Breeder has developed a reputation as one of the most cutting-edge galleries in Athens. But it’s just as famous for its fabulous preview parties. The top floor space, with its jagged copper bar, always draws a glamorous, good-looking crowd on opening nights.

Realising they were on to a good thing, the gallery owners decided to turn this space into a pop-up restaurant. Or perhaps they just couldn’t resist using the ingenious name they devised for it: Breeder Feeder(thebreederfeeder.blogspot.com)

Hidden behind a black steel door with no sign, it’s deliberately designed so thatyou feel savvy and special just because you managed to find it. Buzz the bell and you enter a soaring gallery space (currently showing amazing installations by Goldsmiths graduate Athanasios Argianas). Follow the raw concrete steps upstairs and the cool white cube gives way to a softly lit dining room artfully decorated by Andreas Angelidakis (andreasangelidakis.blogspot.com/2010/10/feeder.html).

The design is a brilliant cross between Greek neoclassicism and folklore. This theme was inspired by an event that seems ominously topical: the national bankruptcy declared in 1893. Modular white lacquer seats and tables are mismatched with furniture salvaged from skips, colourful kilims and kitsch trinkets picked up in local souvenir shops.

Different chefs take over the open kitchen every few weeks. The well-priced set menu varies from an aphrodisiac five-course feast for Valentine’s Day to vegan raw food concoctions. Even if the food is occasionally more experimental than the art (with mixed results), this intriguing space always dishes up a deliciously different night out.